The same discipline that drives great engineering applies to every pursuit worth doing well. Here is what keeps me sharp outside the IDE.
A lifelong practice that predates my career in technology. Martial arts taught me discipline, patience, and the value of deliberate practice long before I ever touched a keyboard. Decades of training have shaped how I approach every challenge, technical or otherwise.
Over ten thousand jumps and counting. Skydiving demands absolute focus, situational awareness, and trust in your preparation. There is no debugging at terminal velocity — you get it right or you do not.
Two wheels, an engine, and no distractions. Motorcycling is where I find clarity. Long rides are the best debugging sessions — something about the rhythm of the road untangles problems no whiteboard ever could.
After spending hours in the abstract world of software, there is something deeply satisfying about building with your hands. Woodworking rewards patience and precision — measure twice, cut once applies to code and lumber equally.
The study and appreciation of timekeeping. Mechanical watches are marvels of micro-engineering — hundreds of components working in concert with tolerances measured in microns. The intersection of art and engineering at its finest.
Music is pattern recognition made audible. DJing is about reading a room and building a journey through sound. Whether I am mixing on turntables or producing tracks, the creative process shares more with programming than most people realize.
"The discipline you bring to your hobbies is the discipline you bring to your work. They are not separate — they are the same muscle."— Fred Lackey